The Cleveland Guardians are one of the best coaches teams in baseball.
They execute the routine plays on all facets of the game, play hard, and put together competitive at-bats night in and night out.
It’s part of the reason behind their MLB-best 67-44 record.
We have praised their incredible bullpen many times.
Additionally, we have pointed out that their offense is much improved from the hapless 2023 unit.
The manager, Stephen Vogt, has been an asset to the organization, and the baseball operations department is led by the always-reliable Chris Antonetti.
It feels like defense is something we don’t discuss enough when talking about the 2024 Guardians, and it’s one of their most underrated units.
“MLB Defensive Runs Saved Leaders 1. Guardians, 2. Royals, 3. Blue Jays, 4. Brewers, 5. Yankees & Rangers, 7. Braves, 8. Dodgers, 9. Diamondbacks, 10. Tigers & Cardinals,” SIS Baseball tweeted.
MLB Defensive Runs Saved Leaders
1. Guardians
2. Royals
3. Blue Jays
4. Brewers
5. Yankees & Rangers
7. Braves
8. Dodgers
9. Diamondbacks
10. Tigers & Cardinalshttps://t.co/g9YCcfsssz pic.twitter.com/AhbQCVv32c— SIS_Baseball (@sis_baseball) August 5, 2024
As you can see, the Guardians not only have a strong defense: but they are the best fielding team in baseball, at least according to Defensive Runs Saved (DRS).
Cleveland has 68 DRS to this day, a whopping 10 more than its closest competitor.
Not only that, but the Guardians have excellent defenders in key positions: Brayan Rocchio, the starting shortstop, might not hit much but his 10 DRS justify his presence on the field every day, for example.
His double play partner, Andres Gimenez, has a mind-blowing 16 DRS.
Catcher Bo Naylor has nine, and left fielder Steven Kwan has logged nine to this point.
Center fielder Tyler Freeman – new to the position – has three.
The Guardians have plus defenders all around the field, and that is a huge boost for the pitching staff and the team as a whole.
NEXT: Guardians To Recall Left-Hander To Start Opener Against Diamondbacks
